1
It was almost two weeks after I read “the Axe Handle Academy” curriculum proposal
http://ankn.uaf.edu/curriculum/AxeHandle/
when I realized the potential of Bioregionalism, or Localism in my online craft learning venture. It is not an obvious connection but one that worked so well for me and proved an incredible synthesis of the theory and indigenous writing I have been reading this term. My blog research had led to Bioregionalism without me knowing the terminology. As I wrung the pages of Google for traces of Borneo indigenous culture and knowledge on the internet, I found that issues dedicated to the land were binding communities and alliances online.
Here’s a great short description of Bioregionalism by William Hipwell
http://knowledge.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/view/geography/n101.xml
Or, if you want the long version, this ebook by Robert Thayer explains how Bioregionalism is a lifestyle, and applies it to education and the economy.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ubc/docDetail.action?docID=10062335
2
This 293 page 1988 dissertation (I do not pretend to have read it all) explains how the Iban shift their cultivation between bioregions, which is more sustainable for the land and cultures in Borneo. The paper details some of the indigenous knowledge and cultural perspectives and their connection with the land. The dissertation refers to traditional craft production, which involves the cultivation of different land areas for material.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/303693547
3
Indigenous peoples as “guardians of the land”, it sounds fantastical but their traditional knowledge of the environment is of urgent importance to economical growth. The Bioneer group promotes TEK (Traditional Educational Knowledge), an alliance of indigenous representatives, elders and ecologists with the aim of spreading indigenous knowledge.
http://www.bioneers.org/programs/indigeneity-program/
This video has incredible production quality and only 67 votes. It explains TEK according to a variety of individuals from different regions and their experience with the land traditions of indigenous peoples. One woman touches on the role of technology, and explains how TEK is a technology in itself, as well as how the harvesting of materials for traditional crafts was ecologically and sustainably-minded. She adds that the biogregional process of basketry has helped her sense of personal identity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2LsHHSDiWg
4
In 2 weeks and after 3 years of living in Asia, I am going home to the West Coast. It has been an incredible experience to apply the concepts from this term to my local surroundings in a developing country. This new interest in indigenous knowledge has highlighted areas of education that I had not considered before. I was very happy to find this website which provides a free alternative schooling online program to elementary school students in BC for sustainable and ecological living.
It is based on bioregional and global educationm. Activities apply traditional subjects like Math or Science into real-world activities. It would be amazing to work with a group like this as I finish the rest of my MET next term.
http://oakandorca.ca/bundles/samples/math_a.html
5
In my final project I compare online sites to virtual biospheres, with community and communication building cultural ties between actual biospheres. The activity afforded by the tools and features of the environment will determine the site’s unique nature. We can see though examples such as Facebook, Twitter and Reddit that it is possible to create online communities that are a very real part of our daily existence. What does it take for an online platform to cultivate active participation? The social networks I listed are all platforms for blending aspects of the actual world with virtual society. The bioregional perspective that permeates even the most virtual of concepts; everything is traced back to the land.
On a final note, here is a 1998 interview with Peter Berg, a lifelong environmental activist and attributed founder of the Bioregionalist movement of the 70s. He explains how he considers himself bioregionally connected to Japan because of the Salmon route that leads past Japan, through the Pacific and into Sacramento. Looking at boundaries from a different perspective is resonant of online culture.